The Inheritance

Though Little Women is by far the best known novel by Louisa May Alcott, The Inheritance is quite certainly my favorite of them all. The main character is sweet and unassuming even in the face of unfounded accusations. It is a simple and sweet story, one to enjoy for quite some time.

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LibraryThing member books_ofa_feather

I had been searching for this book for a long time. My mom just happened upon a very nice copy at our local Goodwill store. I read the book in a day and am completely satisfied. Alcott always has such a way of making me fall in love with her characters and making my heart twist with despair at

their despair. Her main character in The Inheritance, Edith, has qualities that I myself wish I had. The story has many examples of sacrifice and such devotion, that are very touching. This is a book worthy of a place on my shelf for years to come and one I can't wait to share with my own children someday.

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LibraryThing member StoutHearted

While Alcott's early writing doesn't show any of the promise fulfilled by "Little Women," it does provide a charming little story for those interested in her work.

Italian orphan Edith is taken in by Lady Hamilton to be a companion for her daughter. The family treats the girl well, but this is

resented by a cousin, who plays the villain in the story. Edith learns a secret that benefits her greatly, while possibly harming her adopted family, and resolves to do the right thing to the end, even if her reputation may be wounded in the process.

Edith is a character who out-goods Austen's Fanny Price. She says and does precisely the honorable thing at all times, and earns the admiration of her friends and potential suitor despite her low social class. While she does go through a conflict, it does not change her character in any way beyond making her the recipient of the titular inheritance. Truly, no other character, except possibly the villain cousin, really changes or grows as a character. They love Edith, then misunderstand her, then are corrected and love her even more.

We cannot judge Alcott as a writer by this novel, as it was written before her talent was fully developed. But from this, we can see her imagination and good understanding of a story's structure. The tale flows well and swiftly, imparting a charming story, though trite by today's standards.

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LibraryThing member JBarringer

It's a fun thought that this book only was 'discovered' and published in my lifetime, despite the fact that it was Louisa May Alcott's very first novel, written while she was a teenager. Actually, comparing this novel to the romances and romantic thrillers I've been reading lately, Alcott's teenage

novel writing is a bit stronger than that of many adult, professional, successfully published authors. The story is pretty basic, but then again a lot of books from this era about women follow a similar formulaic plot- boy meets poor but beautiful girl, boy falls for poor but beautiful girl, girl falls for boy but can't admit it for reasons, reasons evaporate, boy gets girl. It's maybe not great literature, but a lot of what is mistaken for great literature is not. Readers who enjoy other books by Louisa May Alcott, Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, should probably plan to read this book and add it to their bookshelves.

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LibraryThing member Wiszard

This book was written was Alcott was a teenager. It shows when compared to such literary classics as Alcott’s own Little Women or Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. However, I found this tale to be enjoyable with a little twist.

LibraryThing member KatieWallace

Unnecessary. I read it only because I loved Little Women and found nothing to compare. It was a weak and juvenile attempt at a cross between Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte

LibraryThing member rutabega

The Inheritance is the kind of book that teenage girls write and that teenage girls like to read - all because it's the sort of improbably romance that teenage girls like to fantasize about. It isn't great literature by any stretch, but it is certainly an entertaining read for what it is, and it

offers a lovely glimpse into the development of a great writer. It's also always nice to know that though teenage girls have changed a lot since Alcott was one of them, they haven't changed in some essentials...

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LibraryThing member nocturnewytche

I picked this book up after I saw the made for TV movie version. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to read the story as well. This is a wonderful book and a great romantic adventure. I love Little Women, but I happen to find the Inheritance a GREAT story as well. Wonderfully written and so easy to

enjoy reading!

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LibraryThing member GramRock

It is fun to read an emerging author's early work especially one from so long ago when the innocence of a 17 year old girl was so different from most of today's 17 year olds. One can see hints of Louisa May Alcott's coming greatness and maturity.

LibraryThing member librisissimo

Substance: The half-English, half-Italian orphan Edith Adelon is rescued from poverty by a kind Brit looking for a companion for his daughter. Romance, conflict, and improbable good fortune ensue.
Style: Alcott's style is what you would expect of a teen, but the foundation of her later writings is

already well-laid.

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LibraryThing member MissClark

Sappy and melodramatic in the extreme, but it is a very early attempt by an author that never really grew out of the latter, if either. It still is a nice little story, with an almost Gothic feel at times.

LibraryThing member AliceaP

If you're in the mood for a quick, predictable romance then The Inheritance is perfect for you. As far as the historical record goes, I'm quite glad that this previously unpublished work has now seen the light of day. It's fascinating to see the first novel from one of America's most beloved

authors. From a reader's perspective, however, the book fell a bit flat. It is definitely a product of the times in which it was written. The main character is without flaw and is the embodiment of what it meant to be a noblewoman. From the opening pages, I knew what the ending would be and the twists of the narrative weren't so much twists as twitches. That being said, if you are a fan of Louisa May Alcott and you're curious as to where she started from in order to reach the upper echelons of literature then you should go and pick up a copy of The Inheritance.

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LibraryThing member FHC

A charming first novel handwritten by Louisa May Alcott in 1849 when only seventeen and discovered via the card catalogue of Houghton Library at Harvard University summer 1988 while researching a project to complete the narration of her life.

A wonderful discovery and worthy of reading just for the

insight into a life of historical import. As Ms Alcott had penned, " I want to do something splendid... something heroic or wonderful that won't be forgotten after I'm dead... I think I shall write books."

Here is her first...

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LibraryThing member HopingforChange

Objectively, this novella is nothing short of atrocious. However, I love Alcott and Little Women, and that made reading this an interesting study. If you are not a die hard Alcott fan, this is definitely not a book to pick up. Reading this one is a labor of love.

LibraryThing member sszkutak

Being an avid reader, a lot of people assume that I have read a lot of books, and that is a wonderful assumption and it is pretty much true but what they are thinking is that I have read a lot of the classic books. Anything by Jane Austin, Dickins, Orwell, Bronte... just to name a few. The true is,

I have never gotten into those books, they were forced on students when I was in school and I hate reading because I have to. So I don't have a lot of knowledge when it comes to the "classics". I am fine with that. Where is this going.... well that means I have never read anything by Louisa May Alcott - nope, no Little Women... sorry.

So as part of my library summer challenge we were told to read a LMA book and I chose a nice small one to start out with. The Inheritance is a very short, almost novella style book about a family and their many friends, about class and wealth, and about humility and virtue. It was very good. It was a realistic yet romanticized portrayal of the world the characters were living in. The writing itself is always what throws me when it comes to classics - they are very verbose. I like books that throw you into a plot and run with it, not just talk about it.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I am very much happy that I have finally read something by this author but I think I will be happy returning to my modern YA and MG books for now.

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LibraryThing member SylviaC

I had to keep two things in mind while I read this. The first was that Alcott wrote this when she was only 17, with no apparent intention to publish it. The second was that sentimental novels were very popular at the time. Even with those facts in mind, I couldn't help laughing at some of the

overblown melodrama. Edith, the heroine, is purest of the pure, a paragon of all the virtues (and talents, too). We are presented with such priceless lines as this, from Edith to the villainess of the story: "How one so poor and humble as myself can injure you I cannot tell, but if it is so, do not hate me for the wrong I may have innocently done you, but tell me how I can escape it for the future, and I gladly will obey you." I wish I had read it in ebook format, just so I could search for the phrase "poor and humble", and find out how often it is used. It is practically a catchphrase in the book.

I won't be rereading this , but I'm glad that I read it once. It was easy to trace the roots of Alcott's writing talent. There is an introduction in my book that looks at the influences of the sentimental novel, the Gothic romance, and theatrical melodrama on The Inheritance. Alcott was very familiar with the popular fiction of the time, as well as the classics. Edith is a far cry from the very human and prickly Jo March, but she is not that far removed from Polly in An Old-Fashioned Girl. Polly has a more developed personality, and a sunny spirit, while Edith really only exists as a compilation of virtues. The florid moralizations were toned down in later novels, but by no means disappeared. The book is very much of its time, without the strong characterizations, humour, and sense of the ordinary that give some of her later works their lasting appeal. But for a novel written by a 17-year-old in 1849, The Inheritance shows signs of great things to come.

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LibraryThing member sszkutak

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LibraryThing member meyben

An Italian orphan finds her true desires in an English countryside. Her desire to know her father and to be excepted inot society.

LibraryThing member PhilSyphe

Strange to think that this was not published until a century and a half Louisa's death. Impressive to think that she was just 17 when she hand-wrote this in her red book before she became famous.

I liked this much more than I expected to. I didn't have high hopes when bearing in mind Louisa's young

age and her keeping the novel quiet because either she or someone she trusted thought it weak. Glad to be proved wrong.

The story isn't one with twists and turns, murder and mayhem, but is essentially a portrait of how a group of rich people live from day to day, plus how governess Edith - the main character - fits into the heart of their lives and her charitable actions for the poor.

There is some moralistic preaching evident throughout the narrative but it's not sickly-sweet or forced down your throat.

The characters are all aptly portrayed. Although Edith is somewhat too good to be true, I don't think this spoils anything. I found this character very endearing.

I also like Lord Percy. He's the epitome of what makes a good gentleman. He makes some of the most eloquent speeches in the book. It's a shame in some respects that the English-speaking world converse so very differently to how out nineteenth-century ancestors did.

Overall, Miss Alcott's first novel was a pleasant read.

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LibraryThing member quondame

Written when LMA was 17 as if she had the worldly experience of a 13 year old with no sense of humor. She tells and tells and shows and tells and tells and shows some more and the whole thing is so loaded with pure, virtuous, self sacrifice it would sink in a pool of mercury. Oh and the heroine

does get the guy, so much for LMA persusing a different sort of ending.

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